Ernie Stavert among five Islanders honoured with 2024 Senior Islander of Year Awards
Five Island seniors were honoured with the Senior Islander of the Year Award for the positive impact they have made to their communities.
These awards recognize the efforts that seniors have made in areas like volunteering, artistic achievement, fundraising, sports, recreation, and business.
The 2024 Seniors Islander of the Year Award recipients are:
- Bernadette McDearmid Pedersen, of Tignish;
- Helen Lockerby, of Brudenell;
- Bryson Guptill, of Charlottetown;
- Ernie Stavert, of Cornwall; and
- Marion Trowbridge, of Bridgetown.
“Each year, as we celebrate the Senior Islander of the Year Awards, I reflect upon the dedication and contributions made by seniors that have helped shape our Island. These awards are a testament to the remarkable achievements and the deep commitment Island seniors have shown to our province and their communities. Congratulations to all recipients and thank you for your tremendous work.”
– Social Development and Seniors Minister Barb Ramsay
For more information, visit Senior Islander of the Year Awards.
ERNIE’S PROFILE
Ernie Stavert
Ernie is a life-long volunteer within his Cornwall community. He has been an active member of the Cornwall United Church, now known as the West River United Church, for a long time and over the years has held numerous leadership positions.
According to a past board member of the Cornwall Seniors Club, “[the Club] would never have happened without Ernie.” The club formed approximately 15 years ago, and Ernie is still the President.
Ernie has also been very instrumental and involved in the Cornwall Curling Club since he helped found it 40 years ago, and has continued to be an active organizer to this day. In 1998, due to a knee condition, he was having difficulty with releasing the rock while curling so he became the first person in PEI to use a delivery stick. He later spearheaded the arrival of two person stick curling and as a result, many members across the province can continue curling well into their 80s and beyond.
After Ernie retired, he became involved with the PEI 55+ Games and is still involved today. This includes participating, organizing, and serving as a member of the Board, both locally and nationally. He served on the Canadian 55+ Games for 20 years continuously until 2022.